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Out with the Old

After 13 years of hard
work by Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
and others in the U.S. dairy sector, the Codex Alimentarius Commission
adopted all sections of 16 draft cheese standards at its annual meeting in
Rome.

The new standards replace the existing cheese
standards, which date back to the 1960s. The commission also adopted a
revised standard for infant formula which resolved in dairy’s favor a
dispute over the nitrogen conversion factor for milk protein and soy
protein.

“We’re thrilled that the new cheese
standards have finally been adopted after 13 years,” says Clay Hough,
IDFA senior vice president, who attended the meeting as a member of the
U.S. government delegation. “Getting these standards adopted was very
important for U.S. cheese manufacturers. These new standards provide needed
flexibility and will facilitate additional world trade in
cheese.”

Hough notes that the adopted cheese standards include
the controversial country-of-origin provision, which states: “The
country of origin (which means the country of manufacture, not the country
in which the name originated) shall be declared. When the product undergoes
substantial transformation in a second country, the country in which the
transformation is performed shall be considered the country of origin for
the purpose of labeling.” This provision applies to cheese standards
for brie, camembert, cheddar, cottage cheese, coulommiers, cream cheese,
danbo, edam, emmental, gouda, havarti, mozzarella, provolone, samso, St.
Paulin and tilsiter.

At last year’s meeting, after an extended debate
produced no consensus, the Codex commission’s chairman proposed to
move the 16 standards, minus the country-of-origin provision, to Step 8,
which is the final stage before adoption. The contested section was
referred back to the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) for
consideration, so the commission could reconsider final adoption of the
standards and the provision at this year’s meeting.

In April 2007, the CCFL endorsed the country-of-origin
provision, basing its decision in large part on an educational paper
provided by the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Standing Committee on
Food Labeling and Terminology, chaired by IDFA vice president Cary Frye.
The paper included background information, explained the intent of the
labeling provision, and presented the mandatory country-of-origin
information that would be required on labels. This CCFL endorsement helped
pave the way for final adoption of the draft cheese standards.

“We’d like to commend the many U.S.
government officials, especially from the U.S. Trade Representative’s
office, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, who gave a significant amount of time and effort to this issue
and contributed to its ultimate adoption by the Codex commission,”
Hough says.

The dispute over the nitrogen conversion factor for
milk protein and soy protein also was resolved, with the commission
adopting a revised infant formula standard proposed by the Codex Committee
on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. The new standard restores
the appropriate conversion factor for the protein level of various
ingredients used in ready-to-consume infant formulas, pegging the dairy
protein conversion factor at 6.38 and the soy protein conversion factor at
5.71.

IDFA supported these changes because the values
proposed last year would have incorrectly lowered the amount of protein in
infant formula products using milk proteins, making them appear to be
equivalent with the levels of protein in infant formula using soy protein.
IDFA and IDF worked consistently to show that the proposal was not
supported by science and not consistent with other Codex standards, which
use a factor of 6.38 for milk protein.

The meeting, held July 2 to 7 at the Food and
Agriculture Organization headquarters, drew delegates from more than 100 Codex member countries as well
as a large number of observers from international non-governmental
organizations. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a body jointly set up
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization
and the World Health Organization, to develop food standards that can
voluntarily be adopted by any country. Codex also works on food labeling
standards, food additive standards and food hygiene recommendations.

Codex decisions can have a significant impact on U.S.
dairy processors that export dairy products since many Codex standards have
been adopted by importing countries. Codex standards can also be used to
resolve World Trade Organization disputes.

Events

Many dairy facilities are exploring what membrane processes they can implement and the additional ingredients they can produce to draw further value from their dairy processing. A panel of experts from various backgrounds in the dairy industry will discuss Nanofiltration (NF) and how it can be effectively implemented in a dairy plant.

Products

An at once an all-inclusive guide to the meaning of hundreds of technical terms and ideas needed for ice cream manufacturing, as well as a practical introduction to the ingredients, freezing methods, flavoring, and packaging of ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurts, novelties and many other kinds of frozen desserts.